Ripples #1041: Ugly Little Moments!

PEBBLE If you get tough enough and stop complaining, your potential to view experiences as enjoyable increases. -Brendan Leonard shared by Melissa in Westfield, IN (via REI)

BOULDER
Everything grand is made from a series of ugly little moments. Everything worthwhile by hours of self-doubt and days of drudgery. All the works by people you and I admire sit atop a foundation of failures. So whatever your project, whatever your struggle, whatever your dream, keep toiling.
-Pierce Brown, shared by John in Findlay, OH

PONDER
It is a fact of life that our day-to-day existence often includes activities that are less fun and less interesting than the most exciting parts of our lives. Once we accept that as part of our reality, it gets easier to see the upside of the “ugly little moments.”

The yucky parts of life can cultivate discipline and tenacity and strength; these in turn help us achieve successes which often lead to lots of prettier, more enjoyable moments. Also, if every moment of every day was filled with stimulating and exciting activities, we’d eventually get overwhelmed by all of it and it would be too much to handle. Perhaps most importantly, the ugly moments can help us savor the more beautiful moments. Whenever I’ve had a couple of blechy days in a row, the next good day feels all the more enjoyable.

This doesn’t mean you have to LIKE the unpleasantness that inevitably appears in a full life. This just gives you the option of seeing their benefits, and recognizing the power that comes from consciously choosing how you experience and respond to them.

Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
P.S. We will soon be sending out Ripples an hour later than we used to so I can have one more chance to check for minor errors. I apologize if this gets in the way of your Monday morning routine, but it will hopefully help decrease the presence of errors! 🙂